Throes of death
by Ilarianto
Summary: Red is taken by Mr Solomon . Liz and Dembe try to save him. Lizzington slow burn
1. Chapter 1

His vision was blurred and his eyes barely opened , he remembered where he was when the pain in his head became piercing .There was a lot of blood beneath his feet and two guards were standing next to the door watching him.

They had stricken him repeatedly on face and on his abdomen, he had been branded with cigarette butts while the guards had laughed satisfied for burn marks that were visible on his back.  
They had stripped him and at one point slashed him leaving him naked and chained legs and hands in the center of the cell for days

Red knew he was going to die and very soon. He didn't bother trying to bargain with God, he had never answered his pleas, anyway.  
In the years he'd been father and criminal and a warrior . A protector also : her protector, her sin eater . He had always known that he would die some way or another ,preferably in a quick way without a way that would be worthy a tale around a fire.

This wouldn't be that sort of death unfortunately.

He would either be executed in whatever great event that the Director had planned to make the most of his demise ,or he would die down here in this putrid ,damp cell for the infections that were slowly and surely destroying his body.

It had started off a small wound in his side ,courtesy of the fight he had two weeks ago when that man, Mr Solomon had tryed to kill him and Lizzy.  
He'd hiden the slice along his ribs from the guards who looked over him ,hoping that he'd either bleed out that it'd consumed and kill him before the Director could use her against him , his Lizzy.

His execution had to be a trap for her , a way to lure her into risking an attempt to save him,because she cared about him and they knew. He 'd die before he would allow them to do it .  
He just hadn't expected it to hurt so damn much.

He concealed the fever from the sneering guards who fed and watered him twice in a day,pretending to slowly fall into dark silence ,feinting that the prowling ,cursing man had broken.  
The cowards wouldn't get close enough for him to reach and they had not noticed that he'd given up trying to snap the chains that allowed him to stand and walk few steps but no more.

He couldn' stand very much at all exept when forced by his body 's needs ;the dagradation of that was something that had already been experienced in other situations, but nothing that he could get used.

At last he hadn't been forced in one of those collars he had seen in the first cell they had dragged him that night everything went to shit.  
He would bet money that ,that form of torture was reserved for someone he cared for and he prayed that whoever that person was , had died before the Director was allowed to lead him/her like a dog.

Red shifted on the wall behind him and tried to resist the agony at the pain exploding along his ribs , worse day after day.  
The memory of her was the only thing that had kept him alive this long ,trying desperately to heal him ,but soon even the last drop of blood in his veins would bow to the infection.

It would be such a relief ,a blessed relief to know she couldn't be used against him ,and that he would soon seen those he had carried in his broken heart all these years . His family.

So he hold back every spike of fever ,every incoming fit of nausea and pain . Soon death would arrived to take him .  
He just hoped she was safe ,he just hoped death arrived before she eventually did.


	2. Chapter 2

Elisabeth Keen was no longer Elisabeth Keen .  
Elisabeth Keen was no longer a federal agent.  
She 'd gone through so many names in the last months that she barely remembered who she was.  
Until Dembe phoned her that chilly day and called her Agent Keen again.

After several months on the run they had split up just two weeks ago ; he had told her that it was a main step to ensure her security, to confuse the FBI and the same Cabal 's resources .  
She could not forget her last glance at was in his shirt ,sleeves rolled up, with wide eyes at her as if he was also clinging to his last sight of her.

He had given her documents to travel and the position of the safe house where his surveillance team was waiting for her arrival.

They would meet just concluded his business, he told her, but she knew by his evasive look that something bothered him; of course, he would never have said her what it was.  
That was the last time she saw him .

But Elisabeth Keen was a smart woman : she had inserted a tracking chip in Red watch and had monitored all his movements since they had separated.  
And then, that day had come .

After his first attempt to their lives, Mr. Solomon had vanished in the shadows, but it was clear that it was only a matter of time before he found them again , and she was right because that night he had come for Red and after a long fight he had taken him .  
She was not able to know where they had plan to keep him this time.  
It was not the Fbi box that he had to escape from.

Nothing more, nothing escapes the blacklist easier, no more task forces.

He will never come out from wherever he was locked in.

Elizabeth Keen, however, was allowed to move on , to continue in her life, to spend the years that come ,starting a new life. Maybe a house by the sea where she could caress the sand with her feet under the bright skies

The price was forget, betray him .  
The price was pretend she had never loved him.  
She couldn't.

She looked for Dembe. She needed help  
He looked different,not the man she remembered. He had gained muscle and lost weight since she had seen him last time. There were unknown lines in the corner of his eyes,he looked tired and sad, almost lost.  
"I do not know where he is yet. If he is still alive.I am still searching for clues ."  
Dembe looked away, to hide an emotion that he did not want her to see. Perhaps shame.  
Shame for not have saved his best friend.  
Liz tighten her jaw . She was aware of shame herself , after the recent events of her life.  
"Red trained you for this type of operation."  
"Raymond could be dead. Or broken beyond repair."  
"Dembe, we are special beings who are willing to burn the world to protect the person we care," she said with certainty.  
He sighed.  
"So, you're right, I can't go back.I have to do this "  
Dembe gave a pained smile.  
"I have a clue about Armenia"  
I'm ready," she said, smiling and shaking her head "Just give me a weapon and few men. We can do that, can't we ?"  
it took a month to find out anything close to a workable plan : working together, serching for each contact which could lead to find a decent clue  
They were unable to sleep. Excitement was too much , the adrenaline rushing. Liz struggled to memorize everything they had found out  
Vanessa Cruz made contact with Dembe one week after their departure for Russia

They controlled her movements for two weeks before Liz made the decision to trust her. Finally she met her and accepted her help .  
She just brought her laptop and a large ziplock bag full of documents and codes when they met in Red Square in Moscow .  
They needed a masterpiece of pre-planning, no possibility of had to be perfect

They arrived in the desert of Armenia , in the distance many disused buildings ; she had never seen anything like this: the Medzamar nuclear power plant .  
It was there that Red was supposed to be , hidden deeply in the old building  
The violation of the perimeter was intricate, they made hostages. The team made his entrance in to the building, , without having to kill. There were more than fourty men there,.  
They avoided the elevator, stuck at ground level. It required a code and they couldn't access, they couldn't risk anyway .

They arrived safely in a cage at the bottom, exposed. And there was one of the most difficult parts of the plan, which depended on the agreement set in motion two weeks ago with Vanessa .  
A new life for her in exhange of the deciphering code  
The woman with murderous eyes took the key code from Liz and approached the slot on the wall, deciphering the code.  
A door opened.  
They were in.  
Liz killed without mercy, as well as her team, when she saw in the distance a big , muscular man with a big machine gun hanging on the back, approaching them.  
The guards chief. He probably had the code.  
She wasn't sure on Red to be able to move. They needed the elevator to escape .  
The guards were mercenaries , seriously focused on the mission as if it were a matter of life or death for them.  
Liz and her team killed them easly due to the fact her team was faster and better armored than that pile of deadly warriors .

"Go in the Control room!."  
Liz moved approaching the man with the big gun.  
They only had few minutes, at most.

They were at the metal door of the cell. Only now she would have found out if they were in the right place.

"Throw the weapon and open the door " she said

The locks heavy metal on the door was unlocked quickly. The locks seemed to struggle to open.  
As the last lock had fallen , alarms and flashing lights went off around them. The lights went out, there was a moment of darkness then the emergency lights become green.  
Her team had secured the elevator. Ready for the evacuation.  
Liz grabbed the heavy door, impatiently and opened it.  
The small cell was dirty, blood and food debris and water at his feet. A naked man, dirty, crumpled to the concrete block on the bottom of the cell.  
Despite the flickering light of the lamp , Liz could see the line of scars that extended from the shoulders to below his waist. .  
"it is him !."  
She approached him through the dirt, pulling on his shoulder, slapped him on his face as he turned to her, he squeezed his eyes frantically as if the light was bothering him.  
"Take him. Quickly !"  
Two men behind her shoulder, pulled straight Red, they grabbed him close and took him .  
They run through the dark abruptly to meet with the other team.  
Bodies were everywhere, the commander of the guard handcuffed to the chair in the control room. Lizzy tried to maintain control, but inside she was screaming.  
They approached the elevator and started climbing.  
Liz was shaking with excitement.  
But they were not yet out. Not yet safe .


	3. Chapter 3

Just emerged from the dark of bunker a violent explosion rang out like a great thunder. She tumbled to the ground.  
The elevator she had just emerged from began to fall. Gunshots.  
The ground shook beneath her , fire and smoke were everywhere. All around them.  
She lifted her head and the sun blinded her. She tried to shield her eyes with her hands .  
When she looked back, a man stood in the doorway. He was tall and terrifying. His eyes pointed at her, completely focused his attention on her.  
He was going to kill her. She was sure .  
The man took the radio to speak on the microphone "I have her."  
Then he turned and stepped towards her. She threw her hands over her head and tried to remain calm, there was too much smoke and she could not see her team but before the explosion she had noticed Dembe approaching in the distance and grab Red from one of the team members.  
Finally she had save him.  
The man stopped and looked to the desert, his profile was illuminated by sunlight and smoke.  
A seconds later, another man addressed him,a gun firmly in his hand.  
His hands gripped her around her waist. She fought and kicked her attacker. She screamed  
Mr Solomon . His name was Mr .Solomon. She remembered him. He rose above her to pick her up and pointed a gun on her temple, his face a mask of horror. He was an elegant man in his forties but his look betrayed what actually was: a brutal murderess.

Dembe head clicked into strong growth, hand darting the gun instinctively, when he heard the screams. they were deep and rough, the sound pulled up an emotion in his heart , in a way that was unknown to him. Something inside him roused , and he shook his head vigorously, focusing particularly on the voice. The words were indistinct but finally he recognized the voice: Elisabeth.  
Dembe moved cautiously, peering from the dune behind which was hidden. He trudged through the sand, stopping every few feet to slough off fine, white particles that stick to his boots. he saw a man, his clothes, as Dembe can tell from this distance, were elegant, perfectly matched .. dressed in a black suit, covered by a leather jacket anything but modest; a belt across his chest and a radio in his right hand .Dembe saw a gun in his left hand pointed at Elisabeth head . Based on the situation , he was definitely associated with Cabal group , definitely not tied to the rebels. That left only one option: a killer sent by the Director, probably Mr. Solomon.  
Dembe approached and stopped in front of him ,not moving, barely breathing. Anything unknown was a potential threat to him, and an unknown armed man was certainly more threatening .  
"Be careful with that thing," he blurted out in frustration, "guns can hurt, you know."  
"I could say the same to you" Dembe said, in ironic tone .  
"Who are you, anyway?" Dembe turned up his lips now, still. He placed his hand to his right side, which was the gun holster.  
"I'm Mr. Solomon," he said, with a slight tilt of his head sarcastically, "at your service." His manners were fun; he spoke too correct, but it was mixed with an ironic tone almost disturbing.  
Dembe crooked a smile as he pulled the gun from his holster and pointed towards his enemy face . "Dembe", he smiled, " at yours."  
Elisabeth raised her face up and saw the gun pointed at the dark-haired man behind her .The man was unfairly handsome, his hair windblown black, tanned skin, and deep blue eyes that remind her the way the sky appears after a storm passes. Currently, those eyes were full of anger.  
"Release her !," Dembe began angrily, but Mr. Solomon interrupted him.  
"Are you threatening me?", He shrugged.  
"Now why would I do that?" His sarcasm was so thick that it could have cut with a sword.  
"Because I'll kill you " added Dembe .  
The man's lips were a flat line tight.  
"Well," he breathed.  
"Let's make a deal : you and Mr Reddington are free to go and I take Agent Keen . These are my orders"  
"I don't leave without her."  
"We have located Reddington 's daughter, my people are monitoring her right now , if Elisabeth Keen stay , Jennifer remains alive , otherwise ...you know how these things end..."  
Dembe was motionless he knew how much Raymond loved his daughter, but he also knew that if he had returned without Elisabeth he would have killed him .  
In that moment Lizzy looked up addressing him  
"Go! I'll be fine! Take care of Red! They won't kill me, they need me .Now .Go!"  
"I have eyes on three snipers. But there may be others." Mr Solomon said .  
"You need to back down." Dembe didn't move. "You don't think clearly, Dembe! You need to back down. If you die here, it won't save me and Red neither."  
"ok." He sighed.  
"I will be back Lizzy . Raymond will come for you. I swear .Be safe."  
Lizzy nodded sadly.  
While Dembe pulled away tears flowed on her face , it was the right decision ,she thought .Then a violent pain on the back of her head , her vision turned black.  
Dembe reached the Suv , Red was there barely conscious.  
"Where is she?" he asked worried .  
Dembe was watching him with tears in his eyes. Red knew something was wrong but Dembe just shook his head. He understood that Dembe wanted to say something but was terrified .  
"They took her Raymond"  
His jaw was clenched tight to keep his teeth from chattering. He wanted to scream and cry.  
No one would protect them from his rage, he was ready to burn the world just to bring her back.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter was very difficult to write for me , maybe for the language ... finally i manage to finish it thanks to Kristina O'Donnelly !

Reviews are appreciated! Thank you for reading

She had fallen, she remembered that much. Blood on her hands, the sudden explosion of light and fire, and that circle of light that had left her in shock. Surprised, she drew in a hiss of anger, and then exploded, almost frantic, almost in a panic ...

Almost.

"No, no, no, no! stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid," the words flew like an invocation as her groping hands slid over the counter, and the possibility of escape burned with her head. Feeling caged, growling, she felt the cold metal container against her palm, torn with a tilt of the head.

She remembered the smell of acrid smoke of explosion, hell, the invading flame as the door crashed under the thud of boots and men, all upside down, all around her.

Words were spat out while the screams of that man swarmed over her, kicked in the stomach, a punch on the cheek, the brutality of the sweep down until it was flush with the concrete. She felt his knee pushing the jaw to the floor cold, it seemed to hear so many hands on her back shaking. She screamed and tried to get up, but a boot-heel through her spine, his gun pressed to her face, grinding her cheek in the pavement like an unwanted insect. Blood dribbled from her lips, she felt her cheekbone cracked under the constant pressure, her breathing was always difficult, her voice raw and scraped off by the shouting.

She heard her name uttered, bickering, mocking laughter, and felt the pain of fragmenting bones as wooden batons slammed into the back of her skull. She lingered there, in the chaos, dizzy, dazed and furious, and the fight against the grunt of pain she'd been trying to suppress as it finally bubbled out of her clenched jaw.

They took her with her limp wrists shackled in handcuffs and dragged through the hallway, to the soot-grimed cell where Mr. Solomon was waiting.

Walk, damn it! "The guard barked the order while pounding her , and she was on her legs, dangling again. She clenched her teeth, her feet dragging in a forced fumble rhythm. Her head bowed, her body trembling, yet she was upright only because of those fists on her shoulders almost dislocated. It hurt, everything hurt. She swallowed it all with a grin, indifferent, and a seemingly languid blink.

It was all she could do now. She was grateful that they had left her relatively intact, apart from the blows and beatings. That pain was familiar, the bruises would heal.  
Her stomach lurched when snapped to a halt in front of the cell, while the guard smiled at her, unlocked the iron door with a sharp clang.  
They lifted her up and threw her in the holding cell as unwanted junk, allowing her head to slam against the concrete. Attendants wore smiles, and gloves. She could only blink and look like they threw it to the ground, twisted open arms, ripped the trench coat away, tore her arms free of the material. It sucked back the cry with a whistle, and they pulled the shirt grimed, almost choking her when they tore up collar away from her neck. she could not stop the shiver from the cold suddenly, since she was now only dressed in in her bra and panties . The nurse gingerly reached out to survey the damage from the beating, almost shyly to see her stomach. her breathing quicken. The palm of the nurse was hot against her ribs as she snapped when she heard the convex angle of her ribs, and the spasm that hit her back as she tried to inch away. The grip on her tightened until it was almost numb from lack of circulation and pain. She felt her death was casually discussion, touted as a phrase, and a shrug.. Existence was a random thing, anyway. She always knew her would be unhappy and short ...

She 'was stripped of all and slammed down and bent and broken under the weight of the guards who were trying to keep her still. Her brain clotted against the skull, when another fist struck her temple, and it tasted blood, warm and salty and choking from the broken lip.

It took two of them to hold her down long enough for the little nurse fretting to give her the sedative. Even after three syringes full, she was still squirming like a fish harpooned, although her withered struggled to a dull, contraction of challenge. She heard the nurse say her name, trying to soothe a bit 'of her anger with a caressing hand through her hair unkempt and wet but she could not stop the gasp, as she pulled her hand away as if burned. Distainfully, she wiped the sweat from her palm on her skirt, while Lizzy withered by sedatives, her muscles growing soft and thoughts to be confused. The last thing she remembered was Red rescued from .He was safe. She tensed in anger, and then went completely limp as she was finally swallowed by darkness.

They left her there , bleeding and almost unconscious on the wall in back of the cell, two guards alongside with guns drawn.

She woke up and savored every gasp, every wide-eyed back-peddling authorities swollen and fiction. Fear tasted familiar, the disgust felt at home. It was all she knew now. The thought brought a bitter grief in her throat as she sat on the shelf chained to the wall that served as her bed. The concrete was cold, the bars making their shadows chipped in grotesque patterns of light on the floor. the cell, the cage, the claims ... it did not matter now. She heard the cries of derision of the guards, mostly around blathering empty promises about her inpending disappearance, various parts of her body described in inuendos nauseating, and then ... the threats. she heard her name cursed, growled out like mad dogs who fight for it. Everything else was a blur after that. She remembered that she had no thoughts to all..just impressions and fragments of moments ... the blows to her face, her cries of anguish, the insistent questions..

She ran a hand through her hair , felt the threads oily slick beneith abscent fingers, her lip curled in bright flame color . Maybe her mother's hair were like her. She shook off the thought wearily. She would never know, and it did not matter now. She did not flinch at loud clank of something hitting the bars of her cell, only herself the trouble to look up until stiff. The guards were lined up from her cage, guns drawn .She clenched her fists, but stood up, docily, waiting for them to come and take her to her appointment with the executioner.

"Agent Keen ..or should I call you Lizzy ?.." The question was almost shy and Lizzy remained still . Apparently, her behaviour didn't satisfy the man in front of her as one of the guards abruptly pulled back and forced her on her knees in front of him. Mr. Solomon shuddered when he heard the bones crack, the sharp cry of pain as the guard fell back with a palm covered in blood his face. She turned toward them, her shoulders heaving, and silent ... waiting.

"Umm ... Why do not you sit down? "

Lizzy gave the chair a scratchy look, and inadvertently slipped inside. Mr. Solomon looked uncertain at the man who had been hit few moments before ,he was still nursing his nose and blinding the prisoner. He swallowed again as Lizzy 's eyes darted from the crowd of uniforms behind him. "Now what? "Her voice was full of disgust and weariness.

"If you do not mind, I would like to ask you some questions." The only answer Lizzy gave him was another indifferent look . Mr. Solomon slid his hands back to the table and brought out a stack of files and pictures carefully arranged. "I'm going to show you some pictures , and you have to tell me who you recognize, all right?" he smile at her. Lizzy gave him a nod, but never loosing that rigid, seething glare.

"Alright then ... let starts ". He held up a photo, and Lizzy looked merely at this, before his cheeks curves in distain.

"... A woman ...i think ...she is my mother." The word was spat unexpectedly, Solomon made a another smile. "Very well, Lizzy. what do you know about her ?Where is she ?"

Lizzy grimaced. "I do not know anything about my mother and stop it!Don't smile at me that way I do not like it ,you bother me! " The lip curled when Solomon gave her a smile crumbling. "And may I ask why you do not like me, Lizzy?"

"You call me Lizzy.." she grunted as he looked down at her naked form.

"Well, Agent keen, some things can not be helped. Why can't i call you that way?"

He shook his head as she curtly replied: "No one calls me that way except for one person, and you certainly can not do that." Solomon raised an eyebrow, was annoyed to see that Lizzy gave no sign of weakness rather was strong and determined.  
Solomon held up another photo, "I do not know, I do not know who these people are, I know nothing! 'She cried.

He rise all those images in front of her and she gave him cold answers ,obliged, while studying him and felt the despair growing inside her. Solomon ended his session shortly, he stacked the photos and the files and put them in his suitcase, giving Lizzy a sweet smile and a nod.

"Thanks for your help Agent Keen. I think we have made progress today ... you have questions?"

Lizzy stared at him coldly for another minute of unbearable silence, before spitting out, "I will work with you to find my mother, if that's what you want but I want a deal."

"What kind of deal Keen?"  
"You must not touch for any reason Raymond Reddington nor his daughter"  
"How do you think you can find Katarina ?since we are not been able to penetrate the barrier of silence of the Russians"

"There is someone who can help me ..." she said in a firm voice, "Jacob Phelps"  
She had a plan and the first act was pay a visit to her beloved fake husband.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for review ! I'm sorry this chapter Tom is still around but i'm thinking about the right way to get rid of him!

Thanks Kristina for ypur help! Enjoy

Here he was . Jacob Phelps .

Sitting on his boat watching the stars and drinking a glass of red wine.

She closed her eyes and thought back to a year before, when the same man was locked in that boat held hostage by her .Four months on that disgusting, dirty coffin of a ship and only got a shred of truth from him : He had revealed that his name was Jacob Phelps, but for her he was a liar, a thief, a murderer, an impostor. At that time, she had attacked him and questioned him about her past and her connection with Reddington , she had hated him for what he had done but had not been able to forget her beloved husband, Tom Keen. Not yet .Her recovery from that disaster had been a long process. True, Red had helped her, had tried to make her feel better about herself.

Everything had changed since then, she was not only the well-trained agent, but also a fugitive, she had murdered a man and was hunted by the FBI. She was fueled by something more powerful than justice. For all he had learned about her, he knew nothing of who and what she had become; but now Jacob Phelps was her best weapon to achieve her purpose and she had to handle it with care.

"Hi Jacob," she said,tossing her bag on his boat before jumping in  
"Hey babe, so it was not a joke, you came ." He didn't look at her ,just stared at the sky like before .  
"Mr. Solomon does not seem the type to play games ... by the way, how was your boat trip? They told me that you had some unpleasant encounters ... judging from your appearance they have arrived just in time to save your ass !"

She gave him a closer look, liking his pair of freshly-washed jeans' shorts with a white shirt,sleeves rolled up. His bare feet were propped on the edge of the boat.  
However, the marks left by the Germans were evident on his face: a deep cut on his right eyebrow and a swollen eye made him almost unrecognizable, the left knee was bandaged and also his hands were marked with burns and cuts.  
"You don't look so hot, sweetheart," he said with a wry tone, Seems like someone has hit upon my wife, hard, huh? Too bad ,when I left you the last time, you looked happy!"  
"Shut up, bastard ! She flared,You never loved me, and that night on your boat was the last of my mistakes with you ... you did not lose any time to go anyway ... but , OK, never mind. I never trusted you, anyway. .Red is the only one that I trust " her eyes were full of anger now, the only memory of that night spent in his arms tightened her heart. That had been yet another mistake, another act ofbetrayal towards Red .She was grateful that he had not yet discovered about it, or she could no longer look into his eyes.

"When you left that morning, I knew you would not come back, what was I supposed to do? There was nothing for me here ,so I left and you know what? I left to forget you , and then ,then I heard the news that you killed Connolly.. I was devastated.. I became reckless and I traveled for days in solitary until the Germans found me; I had worked for them and I do not think I was ever more a professional success than on that assignment, until Reddington arrived to ruin my cover. Since then , they've been trying to kill me. When Solomon came with his men and saved me from a certain death, I could not believe my ears: you were working for The Cabal?! I thought Reddington would have done everything to protect you. Truth is, yes, he had hired me to protect you! I believe that he surrendered to the FBI in order to continue to protect you after I turned on him. So, what happened between you and your boyfriend? That man was desperate, he would have killed himself to protect who he loved most , his little princess Lizzie . And so now,my question: why are you working for them and why do you want me to help you?"

As he spoke he was looking straight at her. His eyes were dark, his face tanned but the lines of his face were hard, it was the look of a man that lizzie did not recognize. She finally saw him for who he really was: A lost soul in search of redemption. _What better way to redeem himself that help the person who had made suffer the most? ._.. Lizzie thought.

She approached him slowly and sat down next to him, leaving a comfortable distance between them to feel quite safe . She could not trust this man, she had to remain lucid to implement her plan and make it work to finally come back to Red.  
"You are following ..you know that .." a statement not a question.  
Lizzie nodded, picked up the bottle of wine and took a sip. She knew Solomon had her followed by his men . She had a deal with him .  
"I have to find my mother, Katarina, and you will help me do that. you will put me in touch with the people who worked for her, those that have met her and we will attempt to catch and lead her to the Director. After that you will be free to go and perhaps I'll be able to save myself from death. "  
"Why would I do that? Do you know that at the end they'll kill us ... there is no way that they leave us alive. Do you want to run away with me lizzie? I mean ,at the end of this "  
Lizzie laughed and looked amused  
"I'll be able to get you a new identity, passport and documents so you will save yourself and really start a new life, I will manage it. I'm sure that the same person who has always kept me safe these years will come to save me again. " 

The thought of Red filled her eyes with tears. She missed him tremendously and now more than ever she was ready to admit to herself her feelings for him. The man who had turned over her life full circle, had become her only certainty, her reason for living, her last chance to love.  
Jacob stared at her in disappointment. 

"Well I think it's time to go to sleep, it seems tomorrow will be a long day. I guess that you won't join me in my bed ... you can sleep on the couch, or wherever you like. There is a loaded gun on nightstand next to my bed. I advise you not to try stupid things, "he said and left her on the deck of the boat.

Now that Jacob had left her alone, she could allowed the tears sliding down her cheeks freely. She let out the breath she had kept not to collapse in front of him and show her weakness. Her head still ached from the blows inflicted by Solomon's men. She could not afford a nervous breakdown right now, not in front of a man that was not him, not Red . _Because i'm not safe without him_ she thought .

She then remembered about how, now that she knew Red better than anyone else, or at least she used to when they were on the run ; got to learn his habits, what he liked for breakfast, what he wore to sleep as he slept on his side embracing his pillow .Sometimes when it had been necessary they had shared the same bed and he had hold her with great, quiet, affection.  
She knew how he preferred his coffee, his favorite wine, how he appeared in jeans and unbuttoned shirt .

The constant comfort of his presence, the scent of his cologne lingering in the rooms of their safe houses.

Oh, that man and his cologne!

She remembered when she had kissed him . Just once. He had told her stories during dinner, they had spent the rest of the night sitting next to each other on the couch, finally relaxed, two glasses of scotch on the table as they had shared their first hand had stroked her cheek, the other through her hair, his overwhelming scent .

She was in love with him. Now she was sure, that feeling so strong that almost tore her heart out. 

_"Will i see him again? Will i go back to him? Will i feel again his soft lips on mine? Does he feel the same for me or that kiss wasonly the consequence of two human beings in need of affection to feel the closeness of each others?"_

Sheclutchedher pendant betweenher fingers, while all these thoughts invaded her mind until she was ragged ,her bones aching . She allowed her body to relax. Her eyes closed and she fell asleep, exhausted on the floor.

When Red entered the house he was greeted by a gloomy Dembe. They embraced.

They had not seen for days , Dembe had left to take care of some business, Red had missed his friend , he needed his support in those difficult moments .

He took off his hat and tossed it on the couch.  
Dembe tried to prolong the inevitable.  
Red looked at him and then at the laptop on the table .

The silence was disconcerting. He turned as Dembe began to speak. 

"Raymond, I'm sorry my friend. There is no easy way to say that .We have found her, but you won't be happy to hear what i have to tell you and to see what i have found " 

He was certain from the day he surrendered to the FBI. Things would have changed for her , not necessarily in the right way. He thought

"Call it Stockholm Syndrome if you want, Red, but fact is, she is working with the people who kidnapped her . The information used to identify Katarina have been sent from a laptop used by her to communicate with Solomon. The calls were also made from a burn phone in the same position."

He paused, and Red nodded, his expression blank and suffering . 

There was not a shadow of doubt. Lizzie had changed, had become a different person, to be a fugitive in the end had changed her dramatically. He had failed 

Dembe looked at the floor for a moment.

"That's the only advantage we have. If we want to find Katarina we will need to know who passed the information to .Who met with them and where." He stopped again, and Red feared what Dembe had to say .  
Red stared at the laptop again. "What are you keeping from me my brother ? There is more ,right ?"  
 _That's the punishment for my failure_ .

He sighed 

"I thought it would go differently, my friend, here is the the surveillance video ... at the harbour," Dembe said sadly.  
Red looked at him for a moment. "At the harbour?When ?"

"A couple of weeks ago" Dembe answered 

He straightened his tie before sitting carefully in front of the laptop and look for himself. He was still in pain for the cuts and the bruises inflicted during his detention but nothing could make him suffer more than the idea of his love alone in the dark.  
Elizabeth was sitting on a boat, a bottle of wine in her hand, talking to a man . Immediately Red sighed, recognizing him instantly : Jacob Phelps.

A respectful distance between them but she was still on that damn boat with him. Again .

As the night before choosing to run away with him. He knew, he had always known but had learned to live with that and understood what had pushed her to do what she did.

He forced himself to look at her. Her face was lit up by the moon, her long hair on her shoulders , longer than he remembered . It had been several weeks since they had taken her away from him. He could have saved her if only she had not been the one to save him .Again. He was not certain that would have never seen her again alive ,not after Solomon had taken her.

This time no one could have saved her .

Except herself .

She knew it.

He knew it .

Andthere she was , his brave Lizzie.  
Red stared atthe rolling images ,trying to find the courage to watch the rest of the video .Few minutes later she sat alone on the boat, he could see that she was exhausted. He tried to scan her body through the screen to find if she was injured .  
He wondered if at that moment she was thinking of him, the time they had spent together, so close.  
After all she hadn't followed Tom / Jacob in his bed ..he thought ... maybe it was not as it seemed , maybe she had something planned ...

And then , suddenly ,that gesture caught his attention: she was looking at the sky and her hand was gliding slowly to grasp the pendant around her neck. That pendant he had given her during an undercover mission years earlier when they were still working with the FBI .

A promise to keep her safe. It was the same gesture she had done after their first kiss. He could remember every moments of that night, she had told him she used to touch it when she missed him and try to find comfort in that precious gift.

 _That's my girl !_ He smiled

God, how he loved her!But he had move away his thoughts from his feelings, for now. Lizzie had a plan. He was now sure of that  
He returned his gaze calmly to Dembe .Accepting the evolution , again. Slowly he took off his tie and rolled up his sleeves.  
"Dembe! Get ready to go. We have to fly to New York. I have to be close to them in case there is an opportunity to approach her .Find a safe house and a couple of people to follow them, every move. If we have been able to track their movement , it will be also Ressler, we must be cautious."

He had to think fast to a plan, he could not wait for everything was set in place perfectly , he had to act quickly. It was his Lizzie not an ordinary person that he had to extract and the truth was, he missed her , he missed her terribly.

...

Tbc..


	6. Chapter 6

_thanks for reviews and sorry it took me a while to update .I hope that my English is good enough ... let me know what you think_

 _And also thanks to my dear friend Livvy Andrea that help me with this foreign language so hard for me !_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

 _CHAPTER 6_

When Lizzie woke up, the sun was shining high in the sky, the breeze was blowing from the sea, gently stroking her skin and that gave her a sense of peace. Jacob let her take a shower and change her clothes before eating and start planning their moves .

She emerged from the cab dressed in an white shirt Red had given her and dark yoga pants. She was well aware of the importance of being strong. She must be brainy; she had to keep reminding herself of that. She had to try not to think of Red with abandon and despair, but with the faith. Faith that she could succeed in her mission to free both of them. She needed to be firm in her decision to trust Red was safe for now, and that every decision she made going forward would keep him that way. She had to stop feeling weak and was not betraying his trust, because if she did, she would never see him again.

Jacob and Lizzie sat down together at the table in the small galley in the boat; away from prying eyes. Jacob's laptop in front of sighed and began to tell her about how he became aware of her past and what he knew about her .

"When Berlin asked me to work for him I began to dig into your past.I used my connections in Germany, my connections to Berlin, and a portrait began to emerge: Masha Rostova, the daughter of a legendary KGB agent, thought to be long dead, burnt to death in a fire when she was four. A little girl, blue-eyed, dark-haired, wedged between two parents in a fight for a secret file named The Fulcrum. The mother cold and detached, interested only in her mission, perhaps more than her father. Katarina Rostova, became one with the operators of the United States Intelligence, this was her mission, she met a CIA agent, your father,a good agent with a conscience and they had a child: was not supposed to occur. He only had to be her way into government and military secrets and to a mysterious project relating to a particular DNA situation became complicated for Katarina, who was always at the brink of blowing her cover; unable to separate what was real and what was fake and only meant to support her role,her mission. It all went downhill from there, until the night of the fire in which your father was killed and your mother mysteriously disappeared. I don't know what Reddington had to do with this story and how he got involved.I know that he saved that little girl that night, putting her away, safe from the evils from her past. He gave her a new family, he looked at her, from a distance, making sure she had everything she needed. But now that sweet and precocious child growing up ruined everything, with her obsession with the past and with the murder of Tom Connolly."

When Jacob had finished his story she felt devastated , the truth hurt more than she thought, and the puzzle was not yet complete. Standing, she avoided his gaze and slowly made her way out.

She left the galley and reached the bow with heavy steps,sitting on the floor with her legs pulled up to her chest, shielding herself from him. The head was leaning back, and despite her efforts, she felt tears begin to slide slowly down her face.

She hated her past.

She hated to hear her life told through his words, his voice, and through his eyes, Red should have told her that story with his warm and reassuring voice .

She hated his knowledge of her past, his twisted presence in her present, his assumptions. She hated Jacob 's presumption because despite everything he knew, he really knew nothing. None of what he had told her was really important.

She took a deep breath and wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Time to start finding real answers, she thought .

Later, Lizzie had regained her composure and was getting dressed for the meeting with Jacob's contact.

She wore a black leather jacket, dark pants and a low-cut blouse. Her hair was golden blonde, she had dyed it earlier that morning after her meeting with Jacob. Her eyes were of a blue even more intense now; she looked stunning .

Jacob himself was breathless when she came out of the bathroom. 

There was nothing left of the naive Rookie Agent he had married, the birthright legacy of the Rostova gene transpired, pure and simple.

She seemed like another woman. A woman disguised as a deadly angel.

They made their way through the streets trying not to draw attention to themselves, walking towards a Russian Restaurant, where their contact was waiting for them.

He was in possession of certain documents relating to their mission from the KGB, Katarina had been involved and had the names of people related to that information would have earned him lots money, but Anton Velov was no traitor, and he certainly was not a fan of the Cabal. He was the only one who could open the safe in which the documents were kept - no system of high-tech security there, just a contract that specifies the only person able to access it was the account holder.

"I just wanted to say that I think tis is a bad idea." Jacob muttered

"It seems that your confidence has remained on that boat Jacob, why? Is there something you haven't told me about your contact? "

Lizzie said with her now usual cold and professional voice .

She was detached from him, strongly focused in what she had to do, how she had to act with that man she was going to meet. 

The young woman was enjoying her first mission on her own, out of sight from her protector Raymond Reddington; the man that had always guided her steps in recent years, her sin eater . Jacob was not sure if he should bother.

She was just happy to be back in the fight, and optimistic about her first opportunity to escape her mess or was there something else?

Jacob wondered again why he tried so hard to convince Lizzie. And once again he concluded that he had no choice. Anton Velov was one of the best, and had never been personally involved in the affairs of Berlin or the KGB...not directly though ...

No matter what, he could still be reluctant to speak up, if Lizzie had decided it was in her best interest to find Katarina, he had no doubt that she would be extremely effective. Anton would simply needed to be properly motivated.

They arrived at the cautiously and coldly approached them .

"Hello Miss Masha."he says. "Please, skip the pleasantries""...what do you want from me then?" Anton asked immediately

"I want my life back." She asserted

"Something that no one can actually give you but i can help " he sighed.

The young woman had a way of annoying him.

He stood for a moment, staring at a spot on the wall behind him, before answering again .

"You know I do not know who you work for. And in the end, just between us, I do not really care. I'm in this only for the money not the politics. I 'm doing this because it's the only thing I can do, the only thing I'm really good at .I'll give you the information about your mother and her history. Just leave it to me. Let me work for you, and I 'll do whatever you 'll pay me and i'll disappear.I don't want to get involved "

Jacob watched through the glass from the other side of the room, listening to them

"We have already offered you the deal, your life for your cooperation." she said hardly , her mouth in a firm line

"It's not what I'm suggesting."

She almost laughed when she realized what the old man was asking.

"We do not make a habit of taking the enemy as field agents. Not without some kind of leverage. You are double-crossing your associates. We have absolutely no way to guarantee that you will not do exactly the same to us at the first chance you get. The information in exchange for your life! Because you know if THEY discover you have cooperated with us, well, you're a dead man"

She gave him a deeply serious look a to make him understand that what she was talking about was hisnew reality 

"You can trust me." he said firmly

Lizzie laughed again. He gave a tired smile.

"Okay, I have no money to give you for now but I can find a way to pay and get you disappear ..Give me some time. Meanwhile,you can tell me what you know "

More relaxed, the old man motioned with a hand gesture for her to sit in front of him and he started to remember ...his eyes closed, a pained expression on his face ... contrite in an effort to maintain a certain detachment in his narrative .

Velov was about 75 years and carried the marks of all the wars he'd fought.

She watched him,trying to figure out what kind of man he remembered what Jacob had told her about the Russian man

 _"..a true patriot, faithful to the cause and a sworn pacifist ... He had crossed paths with Katarina and helped her set up her cover at the time her mission took her to the States ."_

Suddenly he spoke ,his voice trembling.

"She has become a legend ..some say she is still alive, at the head of a secret organization that aims to manage the globe ... others that the CIA has captured her years ago and holds her in a maximum security prison where she is brutally interrogated to steal every secret hidden in her memory.  
One thing is certain, no one was aware of the fact that her daughter was still alive and frankly I would not have believed it if it were not for the amazing similarities between the two of you ."

He said looking closely into her eyes, almost waiting for her reaction

Then he continued his story.

"In 1990, the KGB sent Katarina Rostova undercover into the United States. Her mission was to seduce Jack Sloan, a CIA agent and get a hold of information about a top secret military genetics experiment that was a top priority at the time and that the KGB absolutely wanted to steal . I gave her some of the files about the man she was meant to get close to: personal information about his past.. medical files,academic record, psychological evaluations ... all the necessary data to enable her to take the first step and succeed .

Katarina was beautiful and seductive, very smart and knew the effect she had on men. It was not difficult for her to seduce and gain the trust of the CIA agent in few weeks.

Jack, that's your father name,was responsible for the development of _Warrior Gene project_ , a program of training and conditioning to children. The idea was to identify gifted children and prepare them to work in the intelligence services."

"Wait!"She interrupted him.

She remembered about Linus Creel, one of the Blacklisters she had met while working with Red . He had told her that these mind-control experiments were real. He saw some of them when he was in the military. He said there was a black budget project called Sub Project 7.

"Tell me about that Gene and the project " She was watching him intently almost frightened that if she had looked away he would have stopped telling the yearned truth .

"The warrior gene, or Monoamine oxidase A, also known as MAO-A, is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAOA gene. MAO-A levels in the brain as measured using positron emission tomography are elevated by an average of 34% in patients with major depressive association studies examining the relationship between high-activity MAOA variants and depression have produced mixed results, with some studies linking the high-activity variants to major depression in females, depressed suicide in males, major depression and sleep disturbance in males and major depressive disorder in both males and females

Located on the X-chromosome, the MAOA gene is one of many genes that play a part in our behavioral responses. The "Warrior Gene" variant reduces function in the MAOA gene.

Studies have linked the "Warrior Gene" to increased risk-taking and to retaliatory behavior. Men with the "Warrior Gene" are not necessarily more aggressive, but they are more likely to respond aggressively to perceived conflict.

Because men have one copy of the X-chromosome, a variant that reduces the function of this gene has more of an influence on them. Women, having two X-chromosomes, are more likely to have at least one normally functioning gene copy, and variants in women have not been studied as extensively"

"So my father worked on this project and my mother was trying to steal the secretto bring it to Russia and use it. I cannot figure out who was worse between the two. My father who worked to use children as guinea pigs or my mother who staged everything to fulfill her mission" She closed her eyes and tried to be strong in front of those revelations. She nodded him to continue his story

"Then something went wrong. She contacted me one day and said that she needed help, she was in danger and had to be extracted from the wanted me to help her escape, and so I agreed to then I realized that she had fallen in love with his contact and was pregnant with a was lost and psychologically said she had been discovered .  
She was frustrated and confused, I tried to help convincing her to wait until the birth of her child before groped a flight ... So she accepted, the time passed and I heard no more of her.

I later learned of her death in a fire along with a CIA agent and a child.

Her daughter. resemblance is alarming ..it's like talking to a ghost!

Afew days after hearing about the fire, a man came to me for help: he needed to disappear and not be located. He told me about a secret organization within the government and about a dead KGB agent. I immediately connected the dots andunderstood he was talking about you and your mother. He told me that the little girl was alive and I had to procure fake documents for her too .Someone was looking for the girl because her father and then her mother had been in possession of a blackfile called _Fulcrum_. Something that would have crippled the most powerful men in the globe, uncovering their secrets.

He told me that during the night of the fire, Katarina had faked her death. CIA had undestood that she was working for the Russians, and for a while they suspected Jack was working with her. But twenty years later I still do not know for sure if Katarina is really alive or not .If she is, she has become a ghost .

Someone said that she escaped and went back to Russia, and under the orders of Alexander Popov,she developed a program called _Born_ , an equivalent of the extreme _Warrior gene project_. The children, all Westerners,would fit in easily with the enemy, were kept in a secret base in Belarus for several years of intensive training. Katarina, was known under the pseudonym _The Mother_.

She can't know you survived the fire, that Reddington saved you despite the fact he was working for The Cabal .He was there the night of the fire to take the Fulcrum from your parents but when he arrived with two other men he found your father dead and the house in fire .No sign of your mother .

The only thing i know with certainty is that the _Born_ program officially ended with Gorbachev , cuts on the military budget, but actually continues, financed by private investors. The last children graduated in 2012 and become mercenaries. "

He had stopped talking and was catching his breath .He was no more a young man and these stories badly affected him.

On the contrary, Lizzie was frozen to the spot, so the old man placed a hand on hers trying to comfort her, her gaze now fixed on him apprehensively.

In the midst of her fear and confusion she expected him to launch a long string of excuses for her mother's actions, justification that he would never expect her to accept. She was surprised when he said nothing and poured a glass of water ,handing it to her. She accepted it wordlessly and took a sip, the cool liquid soothing her dry mouth.

She nodded slowly.

When he spoke again his voice was gentle, and rich of emotion.

"Reddington explained to me that your father had died. He was concerned that Cabal members might come looking for you, and I helped him - the truth is that your mother had disappeared that night and he never expected to see her again." He paused, his lip trembling a little. "your mother had left you because she unstable, and I know you shot your father but you were trying to protect her from him. It was not your fault Masha ."

Lizzie nodded and gave him a shy smile. The old man then let go of her hands and leaning toward a briefcase that was at his feet, took out an envelope containing the informations that he had promised.

He handed the contents of the briefcase to her

"Here. You will find more information about your mother's past, detailed information on her mission here in the States and files on the Warrior Gene study . Inside, there's also an invitation to a party that will take place this evening on a yacht. Your contact will be there, but pay attention, there are many former members of Russian intelligence, members of the Cabal and probably criminals.  
Your contact is called Alexis Dubvrenko. He worked with your father in the project with the group of scientists. He knows exactly what happened to your mother because he had been sent by the KGB to support her mission .

He will tell you if she is still alive and where to find her .

He gave me his word, he will help you, he is a good friend, you can trust him "

Lizzie stood up and offered him a hand and whispered "thank you for your help, you gave me back a piece of my life"

He smiled and added "Masha . Be careful, you have to move like a ghost among those people or you will be in danger" 

Lizzie motioned for Jacob to follow. He had been sitting on the sidelines watching, he was not interested in listening, but he was much concerned about the precarious situation he was in. Well, if Lizzie wanted to risk her life playing Russian roulette he was not there to stop her, but the fact she had involved him …truly, the only thing that mattered to him was to take her away and start a new life without looking back ( how selfish!)

Her heart was pounding, and sweat stung in the neck and the base of the spine. Despite Jacob continued plea, trying to convince her to reconsider her decision to go to that party full of Russians,she had been steadfast in her refusal.

But now, as she reached and touched the dress, its fine silk beneath her fingers, she knew he was right - it was the lesser of two evils. And, the possibility of immediate escape seemed thin. She needed the chance to get her life back. It was too foolish to just walk away, let the Russians frighten her. She was ready to make another wrong choice, one based on love, not reason .. She would have attended that party and met her things had gone as she wanted she would have made sure that Katarina was alive, and she'd know how to find her and soon everything would end.

Mr Solomon would have his prey and she would be free . She would have been able to do what had to be done - whatever it was - to get away, to return to Red .

She needed this chance. But really, would she leave her mother in the hands of those murderers? Katarina might be a monster, but she was not ...she sighed. it was not the time to think about that now, she had to concentrate.  
First she had to open the envelope and look for Alexis Dubvrenko's file and see what he looked like.  
She pulled out a photo and gasped ...  
Immediately she recognized a young Director of the CIA next to two other men including Alexis, circled in red to enable her to identify him .

 _Well, the evening won't be that easy_ she thought.

Anton Belov had told him that a meeting would be held on a luxury mega-yacht and several Russian agents would be present. Lizzie would not miss this, hoping to find his contact party, disguised in an annual dance fundraiser, would take place in the middle of the ocean.

Red was standing in the hotel terrace looking at the lights from the buildings that were visible from there,the hustle and bustle of city life passing through his eyes .

Before getting ready for the evening, he had studied the layout of the boat inch by inch, he was ready to take Lizzie away from there .. He needed her back safe and sound, and therefore needed to deal with Tom Keen although he did not know what was involved in and why was helping. That miserable bastard had tried to ruin her life for the last time. He had to pay for that.

Later that night, wearing in a tuxedo, Red got in the yacht through a back door, he went up the back stairs, to reach the main ballroom. The party was in full swing when he arrived: elaborate dresses for women and tuxedos were worn by men; drinks were flowing; the music was playing loud. Guests danced and socialized.

His sharp eyes scanned the room before heading to the bar where he ordered a scotch as he looked around carefully. There was a part of the ballroom, which was dimly lit, only soft lighting to illuminate the environment,most of the guests were standing, chatting animatedly, others occupied the dance floor so he wasn't able to fully see that part of the lounge .

Red smiled as the young bartender handed him another scotch, and, just as he was thanking her for it and scanning his surroundings again, the crowd dissipated, and ... he saw her. A Beauty in red .

She wore abright red dress . As she glides through the room to the dance floor , he watched her elegant movements, intimately familiar with the sway of her hips, her head tilt, the curve of her back, her hair tied in a French twist, she was a blonde now .

He was holding his breath _._

 _Oh lizzie what you do to me_! He sighed

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows another figure was observing the movements of the young woman...

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

thanks for the amazing reviews! you give me the strength to keep on writing. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I needed to write what I had in mind!  
First time without help with the language. forgive me for all the mistakes!  
Enjoy

Lizzie turned to his partner ,stretched her arms and put them around his neck.

Red held his breath, clenching his fists. She was breathtaking , her blonde hair exquisitely collected and her lips painted bright red.

She smiled gently to the young man beside her and with that Red forgot what he was supposed to do there ,seized with an insane jealousy; teeth pressed, a glass of scotch gripped in his fingers .

While Lizzie was moving , he was trying to steal her emotions watching her face and her facial expressions :

What was she feeling? Was she planning something? Was she only playing along with Jacob? Or she was there because she really wanted and because she had chosen to go back to him..

All his certainties gone in a breath of air

 _Almost like all those lines in the sand_ -he thought -

There he was , Jacob (or Tom). Whatever it was his damn name ! Immaculate in his black tuxedo.

Red could not deny the evidence: they were awesome together; they danced fluidly and familiarly ,

they talked animatedly with other guests with extreme security and synchronization ;

They laughed together - _ah ... her laugh, so genuine_ ... his heart tight in his chest seemed bursting .

That was the laughter that he had managed to snatch a few times from her , an uninhibited reaction. He felt his stomach squirm when Jacob leaned toward her and kissed her on her exposed neck with passion.

That kiss was not fake .

He could not stand it anymore

Suddenly his gaze was captured by the arrival of a group of men dressed in black followed by armed bodyguards : the Russians.

Among them was Alexis Dubvrenko .

Red was observing the scene in front of his eyes : Lizzie approached cautiously Alexis who invited her to move to a more secluded spot.

Red sighed, trying to keep calm, being surrounded by a horde of criminals and former KGB agents was definitely not in his wish list.  
At least he could take comfort in the idea that sooner or later he would get rid of Jacob .

He had the strange feeling that he was planning to do a bit of money selling Lizzie to the Russian government.

His suspicions were based on evidence of some phone calls to Berlin's contacts in Russia.

He looked at the dance floor as he waited for his drink. The group of Russians seemed at ease, they were talking jovially at the bar.

Moments later Liz step closer to Jacob whispering something in his ear. Then she withdrew, watching him with a nod of understanding, her mouth forming a shy smile. Tom smiled back.

Red followed Lizzie's movements across the room to the stairs that she was about to climb , probably to reach Alexis.

Never mind.

Red knew him. Alexis was a reliable man and he would never have hurted his Lizzie and above all she was definitely safer locked in a room with him than in the midst of all those dangerous individuals..

He stood up, adjusting his jacket and picking up his hat leaning on the bar .

It was time to have that little chat with Jacob.

Red cut him off mid-stride and stepped in front of him. Gesturing toward the tables in front of them with his left hand, he gripped his elbow with his right, "Dear dear Jacob...Shall we?"

Lizzie entered the room Alexis was waiting in .

The suite was just as sumptuous as the ballroom she had just left, but the interior design was different . The burgundy stood out throughout , the furniture upholstered in beige ,brown and white. Liz looks around at her, incredulous and overwhelmed by all that abundance .

The couch was huge and luxurious, of course, but the most incredible thing was the enormous amount of books in the room. Shelves full of books, books spread out on the desk ..

The curtains were closed and the only source of light that lit up the ambience came from a lamp placed in the corner of the room.

"Miss Elizabeth ... welcome to my humble abode float! May I call you Elizabeth or do you prefer to be called Masha?..." while he was speaking he emerged from the dark allowing Lizzie to see his features

"I guess that Masha is more appropriate under the circumstances " she replied in a bashful smile

"Then so be it! Masha! you're beautiful and very sophisticated . I would say, much more attractive than your beloved mother ... I can tell you this with certainty because I knew her very well ... "

"Tell me about her, when she escaped the fire that night ,where did she take refuge?

"She came to me, told me what had happened. she had stolen the project files but was not able to find the _Fulcrum_ .Your father had hidden it ,not wanting to tell her where it was. I contacted our superiors to make sure she could return to Mother Russia the following days. she kept repeating that she had left you in a burning house, the guilt was eating her.

I drove her to the meeting point with our contact for her extraction and since then I never saw her anymore. Your mother was an extraordinary woman speaking of her professional abiities but emotionally she had big shortcomings...KGB sent me to follow her progress in the mission. Our superiors were very concerned about her obvious instability. It did not take too long to her to become attached to me."

He was looking away from her as if he was trying to mask his emotions.

"We became lovers" he murmured

Lizzie stood in disbelief ... _he just said what she thought she had heard? They were lovers_?  
The man in front of her was a little older than Red, thick and graying hair , a hint of salt and pepper beard on his face. Physical setting, it was probably higher than Red .. yes definitely higher ... His dark eyes gave a sense of depth and mystery .He was certainly attractive.

No doubt , her mother had good taste.

"Are you ok my dear?" He asked blatantly laughing

Lizzie probably has remained deep in thought more time than she expected

"Yeah.. I ... I did not expect such a confession .That's all. So you were my mother lover during that period ,while my father was working for the _Warrior gene project_ . I always thought Reddington was ."

"Oh dear no!They knew each other because Reddington was your father 's friend but she simply hated him! Raymond was trying to jeopardized her coverage . Nothing more. They shared only work interests. Spies issues!"

Then he observed her and asked "Why are you here Masha? You already know the story, what else are you looking for? Ah ...you are wondering if she is still alive "  
More a statement than a question

"Yes.. i need to know , i must know ,it's my right" She said, her voice quivering with emotion. She could finally know the truth. All those answers, whichever they were she could move on with her life after all of this.

For a moment neither of them spoke, an alienating silence permeated the room until Alexis turned to her and opened his mouth to reply...but something stopped him.

In a flash a deafening noise turned their attention from the conversation ... the answer outstanding in the air ..  
Shots of gunfire and screams came from the ballroom ...

"Stay where you are Alexis! I'll go to see what happens!"

Lizzie cautiously opened the door and looked out to see what was taking place 

"FBI !"  
"Hands up, and all on the ground!"  
 _Damn!_ Lizzie thought, she could glimpse Ressler and Samar in the ballroom  
The Russians did not remain with their arms folded and opened fire, the echo of the bullets and screams were deafening.

She paused a moment to consider her options... flight was not possible... she was on a yacht, surrounded by FBI and Russians and ...water. The Russian were more dangerous ,if they had found out her real identity they would have kidnapped and brought her back to their country. 

Jacob was not visible anywhere..probably that coward had ran away in time!

No help therefore

Just then , deeply absorbed in her thought she was under the impression of hearing someone shout her name in the distance

"Lizzie! Lizzie! ...Elizabeth!" 

Lizzie turned, almost in a layer of trans and recognized Red running toward her, shouting.

"Red? What are you doing here? How did you find me?"  
"There isn't time for that Lizzie, we have to go, Dembe is waiting for us on the roof with an helicopter"

Firmly he took her arm and pulled her to him

"No! Let me go ! Red! I can't ! I can't! Alexis is in the room..he was about to tell me of my mother . i need him!"  
"Then take him with us!" Red replied 

He opened the door and found himself in front of Alexis dying body ,surrounded by a puddle of blood ...

 _A sniper_ ! he could barely see an hull that was turning away .

"No! No!" Lizzie shouted desperate ... he was her last chance to know the truth about her mother  
She bent over the man's body and looking straight in his eyes she asked again amost pleeding :  
" .ALIVE?"  
Alexis coughed blood, clinged to her arm and squeezed ... the answer left his mouth as his last breath  
"YES"

Lizzie stood there , on her knees , unable to breathe for a long moment, then she turned her gaze to Red that had an appalled expression.  
He reached his hand out to Lizzie and gently moved her to his chest to comfort  
She wept disconsolately almost hysterically , her face buried in his chest .

 _what she felt was relief_? 

"Lizzie we have to go now" he muttered  
"I can't Red, I can't go with you, they are following me .we have an agreement and I must respect it. They'll kill you if I do not,"

She looked at him intensely and stroked his cheek with the warm palm of her hand .She kissed his .So damn softly.  
She turned and headed for the door. 

"Save yourself, go away from here. They will not allow the FBI to catch me .Goodbye Red" she said under her shoulders .  
And with that she was gone

Red headed dejected for the back door to get to the stairs that lean to the roof ,when he heard Ressler shout at him warning to stop and raise his hands.  
He turned and started to pull out his gun and time stopped  
When he realized what was happening he saw Lizzie in the ballroom watching him , held by an armed man.

"REEDDD!... "

She was crying now, and he didn't understand why until he felt a acute pain in his right leg. The impact of the bullet had made him fall to the ground, the noise and the lights were floating all around him.

Everything went black and he closed his eyes

Ressler was alerted when the men entered the room - they were not FBI.

"FBI! Stand down!" he shouted at them, covering his face to protect himself from the smoke that was spreading the air 

He tried to ran to Liz, but was stopped by one of the mercenaries who put a gun directly on his face. Planted between his eyes. 

"Who are you?" He asked, hands up 

Lizzie was shacking in the arms of the mighty 'man, desperate over Red's fate  
The man didn't answer, but spoke into the radio. "The girl is safe, she is back in custody, we are ready to evacuate immediately."

Then he turned to Ressler. "See you soon Agent Ressler."  
And he walked away dragging Lizzie exhausted body with him.

tbc...


End file.
